Love historical romance? Well, you've come to the right place! This is a blog for avid readers (and authors) of historical romance.
I started it to help other readers find the good ones...the keepers. In addition to authors guest blogging, I will share my reviews of those I've rated 4 and 5 stars, my favorite authors, my "best" lists and occasionally a special post. Come join us!

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Favorite Author and my Guest Today: Kaki Warner talks Trains!

Although she now lives on the eastern slopes of
the Cascade Mountains in Washington, Kaki grew up in the Southwest and is a
proud graduate of the University of Texas. Her years spent riding horses and
enjoying the expansive vistas of Texas became the inspiration for the backdrop
of her first novels—the wide-open spaces of historic New Mexico
Territory.

Kaki and her husband Joe now live in a hilltop
cabin overlooking the scenic Methow Valley in Washington where Kaki spends her
time gardening, hiking, reading, writing, and soaking in the view from the deck
with her husband and floppy-eared hound dog. Sounds ideal, no?

Long before Kaki and I met and became fast
friends at a writer's conference in Seattle last year, I was a fan of her
wonderful Western romances. She brings the West to life along with some
endearing heroes and heroines. Warner’s Pieces
of Sky, book 1 in the Blood Rose trilogy won the RITA award for Best First Book, a real
achievement.

Her latest
books from the Runaway Brides trilogy feature scenes where the
characters ride on the Transcontinental Railroad. Kaki tells me she got the
idea for the railroad connection from her husband who is a “railroad freak.”
Well, so am I, and I can’t wait to hear what she has to say as she talks 19th
century train travel!

Train Travel
After the Transcontinental Railroad

Good morning!
And thank you, Regan, for inviting me to help celebrate Western Historical
Romance month on your blog!

Since several of my books center around
the railroads (especially Bride of the
High Country and my upcoming August release, Behind His Blue Eyes), I thought I’d share some of the weird and
interesting facts my research uncovered about train travel after the completion
of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869.

Even though rail service had been available
in the east for three decades, cross-country passenger hauls were scarce in the
early 1870s. Amenities, even scarcer. No bathrooms, for instance. But that was
OK since the trains had to stop every twenty miles or so to fill the tenders
with water or add coal or wood. If the passengers were lucky, there might be an
outhouse beside the tracks. And if they had a dime, they could purchase a box
lunch from an enterprising local beside the track, or enjoy a hot meal of
beans, bacon and a stale biscuit. Then back on the train and the hard, wooden
benches for another lurching, bouncing twenty or thirty miles. YIPEE.

But when I wrote Bride of the High Country—wherein the fiancée of a railroad mogul
flees their wedding with a valise full of stolen railroad certificates—I wanted
my characters to travel in style—i.e. Pullman Palace Cars.

Pullman Sleeping Car of 1859

These railcars were as plush as rooms on a
gambler’s riverboat, complete with velvet couches, drop-down beds, carpet and wooden
inlay around the windows. In addition, each four-berth Pullman boasted a lavatory
with a “necessary”, which emptied directly onto the tracks (and you thought it was
hunters who decimated the buffalo—HA!). And many of these luxury runs also
included a parlor car and dining car, which served mostly-edible meals when
your plate wasn’t sliding into your lap as the train clickety-clacked along.

Ah, the beautiful scenery and fresh air.
If only you could see out of the soot-streaked windows or breathe through the billowing
smoke wafting back from the locomotive. Still, it was faster than a three-month
trip by wagon. Plus, you got to shoot at stuff from the rear platforms as you
careened along at ten, twenty, or even thirty miles an hour. What a treat!

FACT:Each Pullman Car was owned and operated by
the Pullman Company (not the railroad), and was serviced by a white-jacketed
ex-slave universally named “George” in deference to his employer, George
Pullman.

The West would have been a vastly different
place without the influence of the railroads. For one thing, they offered
incentives (like cheap land) to encourage people to settle along the
right-of-ways (which had been granted to the railroads at no charge by the
government), thereby building a permanent market for the goods they were hauling.

Transcontinental Railroad

They also carved routes through impossible
country, built thousands of trestles, bridges, culverts, and tunnels, or—since anything
steeper than a 3% grade was prohibitive in fuel, construction, maintenance, and
equipment costs—they laid tracks miles out of the way to avoid obstacles, thus
opening up even more country. Such as Heartbreak Creek, in Colorado Territory,
which is the setting for my August release, Behind His Blue Eyes, wherein a man trying to escape his past finds
himself caught up in a search for a serial killer bent on keeping the railroad
from coming through the canyon. Oh, yeah, and there’s also a love story. It is
a romance, after all.

FACT:In constructing the Transcontinental, Irish
immigrants laid tracks west from Nebraska, while Chinese workers came east out
of Sacramento—and they arrived at the EXACT SAME SPOT at Promontory Summit!Amazing! And the Chinese laborers (mostly
farmers imported by the Central Pacific) later contributed to the development of
the California vineyards and the highly productive farmland in the Central
Valley.

ANOTHER
FACT: The standard width between rails was determined by the Romans when they built
stone roads in England. Four feet, eight-and-a-half inches was the width
between the wheels of a two-horse chariot. Over time, those wheels wore such
deep grooves into the stone that later wagon-makers had to space their wheels
to fit them. Then somebody figured wheels roll easier metal-on-metal, so they
laid down metal-capped wooden rails, put flanged, metal-treaded wheels on their
horse-drawn wagons, and soon coal was rolling out of Newcastle at record rates.
And all because of the width of two horses’ asses pulling an old Roman chariot.
Who knew?

So there you have it. More than you ever
wanted to know about the joys and hazards of riding the rails west. Here’s my question for you: Have you ever
taken a cross-country train trip or slept in a Pullman? Would you do it again?

Leave a comment, and your name will be entered
to win one of two three-book sets of my Runaway
Brides Trilogy. Good Luck! Thanks for coming by, and my thanks to you, too,
Regan, for letting me chat with your followers.

Since Kaki graciously agreed to answer a few questions, I’ve
a bit of an interview to serve up. I think you’ll find it interesting. Here it
is:

How
does your new trilogy, the Heroes of Heartbreak Creek relate to the Runaway
Brides trilogy, which is also set in Heartbreak Creek, Colorado Territory?

The
Heroes trilogy continues with most of the same folks
from the Brides trilogy, but with a new hero and heroine in each book. The
starring characters of Behind His Blue Eyes are Audra and Ethan. But we
also catch up with the Brodies and Rylanders, see a bit of Thomas Redstone, and
at the end, are introduced to Rayford (Rafe) Jessup who is hired by Ash as his
wrangler (he’s somewhat of a horse whisperer. Sorta.)

Rafe
is the hero of Book 2, Something In His Smile (the one I’m working on
now). The heroine is a ruined Englishwoman, Josephine. In this book, the
Kirkwells (Ash and Maddie), Pringle (who Mrs. Throckmorton insists accompany
Ash as his manservant—HA!), and Rafe and Thomas all go to England and Scotland
on a horse-buying trip for the thoroughbred/warmblood stable Ash is setting up
in Colorado. Thomas joins them at the
last minute when his visit with Pru in Indiana turns sour.

Book
3 (as yet without a title) centers around Thomas and Pru and will pick up when
they all return to Heartbreak Creek and Thomas tries again to convince Pru to
come home. By this time, he’s a bit more civilized and she’s a bit less the
world-saver, so they’re ready (after some travails) to settle down. Mostly.

I
envision a sub-plot involving Buster Quinn and Mrs. Bradshaw (first introduced
In Bride of theHigh Country). Since that’s the end of the
trilogy, there will be closure for T & P, as well as issues with other
characters. Don’t know if I’ll continue from there.

You
have the most interesting names for people and places. How do you come up with
them?

I
have a baby book that gives origin of names, which is a big help. I also try to
pick old-fashioned names, or ones that aren’t currently “all the rage”. I also
use names of friends and family members (like the grandkids). And others are
names I’ve heard over the years and thought they were neat—like Brady, Declan,
Tait, and Audra. The other two Wilkins brothers were named after American
statesmen (because I liked the nicknames), and Rayford Jessup, Joe Bill and
R.D. sound utterly Texan. Edwina and Pru are plays on their personalities (and
also make good nicknames), and Thomas Redstone’s name is indicative of his dual
heritage. The rest I just make up. But I’m always on the lookout for unusual
names that sound authentic, but not too contrived.

Your
descriptions of places and views from the trains are amazingly detailed. Do you
do research for that? Take trips? Or, is your creative imagination working hard
to accomplish this?

My
husband and I take a lot of road trips, so I’ve seen most of the western states
at least once. For places I’ve never seen (like Lucinda’s train ride through NJ
and points west), I go online for maps and pictures of the terrain, as well as
pics and maps of the bigger cities during that time frame. If need be, I
research fauna and flora of the area so I get the wildlife and trees right.
Plus, I make up stuff.

You
have captured the male perspective very well...how do you do that? Do you
listen to men and pick up on the way they talk or is it, once again,
imagination? (Whatever it is, it works!).

Thanks.
I do a lot of observing. Plus, I had a brother, and I’ve been married
for-freaking-ever. But I think most of it comes from my less than feminized
personality. I have a lot of “male” traits (their virtues, mostly—all the bad
stuff they can keep), meaning I rarely cry, I don’t suffer fools very well, I
don’t wilt from confrontation (when necessary), and I’m fully capable of
pulling out my own chair, opening my own door, loading my own gun, or killing a
snake with my head (but that’s another story). Plus, I’ve been known to cuss.
However, I refuse to bait my own hook—or fish, unless I have to. Nor do I hunt,
like to watch NASCAR races, have a hat with beer cans on it, or cruise bars.

I
just read that over. I think I need professional help.

I think you’re just fine, Kaki, and as
one of your fans, I thank you for giving us such wonderful stories! For those
of you who want to know more about Kaki and her books, you can find her HERE.

Hey, Christi, thanks for coming by. I know you're busy with your own upcoming release--five days!--so I really appreciate that you came. Good luck with ALONG THE WAY HOME, the first of many stellar Corbett novels!

Really interesting blog post, and the books sound wonderful! My father always said if he hadn't joined the Navy, and if riding shotgun for Wild Bill Hickok weren't a viable option, he'd have wanted to be a railroad engineer. We actually have quite a few trainiacs in the family – instead of Goodnight, Moon, my 4-year-old nephew wanted to be read to from The American Heritage History of the Railroad. (Now if only I'd been the one smart enough to think up Thomas and his 8000 friends...)

Thanks for the pix and the insight into the background of your novels!

Lorrie,One of the most interesting things I learned when I started working for a railroad back in my early career was that the most senior man on the train rode in the back of the train, not the engine. Like being chauffeured.

You're welcome, Lorrie. And thank you for dropping by. What is it about guys and trains (Regan, too). My husband and grandson can watch them go around for hours. I'd much rather actually go somewhere, rather than watch. But it's all very interesting, and so utterly American--another a myth of the West.

Thank you Kaki and Regan! Your review, Regan, of "Heartbreak Creek" served as my introduction to Kaki's work and I am Hooked. Absolutely. I was able to find a used copy and am now halfway through it. I have nearly laughed myself out of my chair - love the "Later" theme! - and am eager to get to the rest. You weave together the lives of people from various, disparate, backgrounds and place them in beautiful, beautiful country and I love every moment of the journey. The way you handle the history is impressively adept. Like I said, I am Hooked.

WOW! Thanks for the kind words, Barbara. Maybe you'll win the whole trilogy. Regan does wonderful reviews, so I owe her thanks, too. These books were all fun to write, and the characters are so goofy I often laugh out loud, too. I swear they have lives of their own--I just write down what they say. I'm so glad you're enjoying them, and that you came by.

Nice interview, Regan! Hi Kaki. "I've been known to cuss." Huh, really? And "Plus, I make up stuff" is a great quote. I learned so much about you! Now I have a new goal, which is to make you cry. Although Heartbreak Creek was the first book I picked up, my heart has always been with those Wilkins brothers. For anyone who has yet to read Kaki Warner: her personality in this interview comes out in all her books, which is not as scary as you might think. And to answer Regan's question: No, I've never ridden across country, but just across a couple of states on Amtrak. It was fun as a kid, but at this point, I do prefer my own car. (Love reading the train stories, though!)

Thanks, Christina, for stopping by and I'm so glad my review helped you discover Kaki's books. That's why I created this site--to help other readers (some of whom are authors like me) to find the keepers. Oh, and it was Kaki's question--thanks for sharing your experience with us!

Hi Christina. Good to "see" you again. You can easily make me cry, just show me beer commercials with those gorgeous draft horses. I get teary every time. And I know what you mean about the Wilkins brothers...they get to me, too. Hope you're working hard on your new novel...I'm leaving room on my shelf for it. Have a great weekend!

Yes, those Rockies are amazing, which is why I had to set these novels smack in the middle of them. I've only done short train runs, many years ago. But I'm hoping to take a long one through Scotland someday. Thanks so much for coming by.

Thank you for sharing Kaki with your readers. I love her books, her sense of humor, and her storytelling skills. I stopped by your exceptionally wonderful blog to see what Kaki had to say today.

To answer Kaki's question. Does riding the "train" in Astroworld count as a cross-country train trip? Nope! Well, then, no I have never traveled via train . . . in person. I have, however, traveled via train in books . . . and will do so again when I read Kaki's new series: The Heroes of Heartbreak Creek.

Please do not include me in this contest, because Kaki has already gifted me with autographed copies of her Runaway Brides Series (which I am currently reading). I just wanted to let you wonderful ladies know that your gift with the written word is appreciated.-Vonda

See why I love this lady? Not only does she say the sweetest things, but she's an outstanding reviewer who puts as much work into her reviews as Regan does. Insightful, well-crafted reviews are icing to authors, and both you ladies are outstanding at it.

Thanks for coming by, Wolf Bear, and thanks for giving my books hard scrutiny. It makes me want to do better next time.

I thought they did have bathrooms. I forget where I read it, but in my research I discovered that passengers weren't allowed to use the bathroom on the train while it was at the station. Do you know when the western trains did start to put them on trains? I'd hate for my info to be wrong.

Hi Kathy. I think they added bathrooms fairly soon after the transcontinental was finished (but I don't know the exact date). And when they did have bathrooms the reason passengers weren't allowed to use them in the station was because they dumped directly onto the tracks. The eastern runs had bathrooms earlier than the western runs. Coach class was pretty rustic...and uncomfortable. Hence, the outhouse. There was a con artist--Cassie Chadwick--who used the trackside outhouses to great advantage by hiding in it, then mingling with the other passengers when the train departed.

Thanks for coming by. You've got me thinking, so I'm going back to find the date. If I can.

No need to sign me up to win - I was first in line to purchase every one of Kaki's books, and I can't wait for the next! She has a wonderful way of seducing her readers - I never planned to enjoy a western romance before I met Kaki's books, but I'm a big fan now!

Love the post. My stepfather is a HUGE train fanatic, so I'm sharing the post off to him ...

Hi, G. Hope your summer is going well...and thanks for the kind words. Getting geared up for the release of SOMEWHERE TO DREAM? I wish you great luck...it's a wonderful book (I got to read it early, YAY!). Thanks for coming by.

I know I'm a little late, but I wanted to say I enjoyed learning about railroad travel, Kaki! The authenticity of your books adds another dimension to a wonderful romance. Congratulations on your new release. Keep the books coming, my friend.

About Regan

I am an avid reader (and reviewer) of historical romance, as well as a published author of Georgian, Regency and Medieval romances. (You can access my books below, or on my Amazon Author Page or on my Author website.)

My book reviews are candid assessments of what I read and may not agree with all. While I post all my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, I only post here those I've rated 4 or 5 stars. I try to provide useful information, series lists and my opinion on whether you would enjoy the story. I try to find the keepers--the ones you want to read and re-read.

“Regan Walker is an excellent reviewer. Doesn't pull any punches but praises good work. I trust her.” SHIRLEE BUSBEE, NY Times Bestselling author

"...goes best with some chocolates and a nice glass of wine."

"Good storytelling, compelling plot and interesting characters"

900 Reviews - 91% "Helpful"

When One Love Story is Not Enough, my article on USAToday's HEA

See my article on The Allure of Medieval Romance!

December on the Blog

December is the month when I feature stories with my favorite heroes and heroines... and post my list of all those stores.

On December 7, I'll have a very special guest, NY Times bestselling author of Scottish historical and fantasy romance, Paula Quinn. I'll be reviewing her new book, too.So stay with us as we finish the year on a high note... the best!

NOTE: This blog claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyrighted to their owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please e-mail regan.walker123@gmail.com with a link to the image and it will be promptly removed.